


Into the Forest

by Mairdrin



Series: Castle of Stars [1]
Category: Original Work
Genre: F/F, F/M, Fantasy, Gen, M/M, Original Fiction, Original Universe
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-15
Updated: 2020-07-15
Packaged: 2021-03-05 05:13:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,903
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25279066
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mairdrin/pseuds/Mairdrin
Summary: Night's Harmony Glade is a beautifully mystifying place, occupied by the forest elves who live in separate villages: Daenar, Lastvar, Millonar, and Reaavar. The colonies have been at peace for three years. Now, that peace is threatened by an interesting discovery. Will Mailune be able to prevent an all-out war between all four colonies? Or will the forest plunge into a fiery battle where forces nobody is familiar with come into play?*Fast-paced fantasy violence work.*Inspired by the Warrior Cats, World of Warcraft, and Dungeons & Dragons fandoms, but has no correlation in lore whatsoever.*I will add more tags as the work continues.
Series: Castle of Stars [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1831405





	1. Prologue

Trees hugged each other tightly in the dense forest; some swarmed with rot like maggots on a carcass and others bled dew and sap, their red leaves falling down to the forest floor. Some had bone-white branches, stripped bare by the bitter cold of the rapidly approaching winter. The undergrowth was covered by dried-up brown and red leaves, the yellowing grass and weak shrubs beneath yearning for a drop of sunlight. There was a crunch, like bones cracking. It came again, and again, and soon its source appeared in the cold, dim light of the morning sun that slipped through the holes in the leaf canopy above.

Three men walked together with no intention of subtlety. Drops of sunlight dappled their dark brown and green clothing. They had similar colors of dark paint over their faces, but this camouflage served little purpose in the dying autumn wood. Two of the three carried swords on their hips and the other carried a bow and quiver on his back. They took in their surroundings with three different shades of green gazes, but they didn’t seem to be looking for anything specific, only something that may prove to them that their wariness was warranted. Even wary, they seemed comfortable with every step they took and confidence kept their postures tall, like they owned every leaf and twig they stepped on. The purpose of their loudness must've been to scare off any intruders, prey or person alike, for they came across neither and squirrels scurried away when they drew near.

A small shadow lingered within a bush they walked past, unmoving. When they were far enough and a few close-knit trees separated them from the bramble, the silhouette shifted, and very briefly the figure of another man was visible, strands of early dawn light shining through his shadowy form. He was shrouded in stealth magic.

Instead of following them, he followed the way they had come from; a lack of heavy shoes made it easy to drift over the leaf-covered forest floor without even a rustle.  
The further he pushed into the forest, the denser it became. Trees were so close that their roots looked like they had joined together and created one massive plant. It became easier to navigate by the branches, so the shadow man took to the boughs. His movements were skillful and so quick he became a blur that couldn’t be seen from below.

Finally, he arrived at the edge of his destination. On the ground below was a clearing and resting cozily inside of it was a wall created by tall, strong branches and cut-wood woven together as closely as the dense woods had been. This wall stretched all the way around to the very edges of the clearing, creating a decent-sized wobbly circle, and within resided several small huts.

These huts were created by the same wood, some more polished than others, and some with linen fabric doors, though most of the doors were made of leather to prepare for the winter. These wooden huts crowded the leftmost side of the little village and many warm, succulent aromas wafted from them. Outside of those areas were small stone circles where fires had been started. Only a few were lit.

To the right of the village were structures made of both stone and wood. They were short, a telltale sign that inside there was a dip inside and the walls were made of hard, compact dirt. One of the buildings was larger, like two of the smaller ones had combined. In the center of that area was a lit bonfire surrounded by logs and tree stump seats.

The largest structure was between the two areas, hugging the furthest wall. People were bustling to and fro, most of them from the left part of the village to the large building, carrying with them food ranging from wheat, fruits, vegetables, and meats. Dappled all over the village, apparently belonging to select homes, were small- and medium-sized food gardens.

Perched on a high branch overlooking the village, the shadow finally slipped from the confines of his magic, letting his figure be bathed in the cold sunlight. He wore lightweight clothing in the same colors of those he had sneaked past earlier, with similar paint on his face. He was much taller, though, and his powerful form surprised his stealth. He had bright blue eyes and sharp ears, similar to those who scurried about below, but longer. He had a long dagger sheathe on his jacket and two small twin swords on his hips with curved silver blades.

He sat there until the forest was set aflame by the setting sun. Then he rose, sliding his small swords from their sheathes, and leapt down.


	2. Chapter 1

Mailune dropped down to a crouch with a sigh, shivering. At least he could shelter in the Healer's hut while he sorted medical supplies. That's what his mentor would tell him if he dared to complain, anyway, because he was out gathering more. Still, he could almost feel the icicles forming on his scruffy cheeks and eyebrows.

Shelves of many pots full of different herbs were before him, varying in size. The rest of the room was crowded with plants growing on the dirt floor, shelved on other walls, and hanging from the ceiling. There was a small archway that led into the rest of the building which was only another room of the same size, but instead of housing a garden it had containers with tools and a few beds against the walls.

After picking the last of what he could of the vast collection of herbs, Mailune carried a basket full up the small steps and through the wood-and-stone arch. He placed them delicately into a large, insulated container full of lukewarm water, where he could preserve them through the winter. He hoped that they wouldn't need them, or if they did, that these would be enough.

He closed the bin up and pushed it off to the side, between a bed and a tall wooden box. He could hear the contents slosh within. He stood with a sigh, satisfied. He could see his breath come out in wisps in front of his nose. He turned and headed out of the hut.

Outside, he was struck by the sun's bright rays, but they offered little support against the chill. He hugged himself; he was adorned with light leathers, which was enough for today, but it wouldn't be if the coming winter was going to be anything like the last.

"Thief!"

The outcry made Mailune jump and he snapped his attention over to the largest building of the village: the community center. It housed all of the food pre-prepared for winter, meetings of the higher-ups, and the higher-ups' rooms. Outside of the main entrance was Shylah, a gardener. She grew potatoes and carrots for the village, and Mailune presumed she was the one who had shouted angrily, judging by her wild gestures.

Mailune made his way over as others appeared from the building behind her. "What's going on?" he heard someone ask, who had been approaching the building from the left side of the village.

"Someone has stolen all of my potatoes!" Shylah wailed, casting her gaze to and fro as if she expected one of them to have taken her yield.

Gasps came from the growing crowd. Mailune stopped at the outer edge and supposed there were seven or eight others who had come to the gardener's aid. The one who had spoken to her first - his name was Carai, and he was a hunter - spoke again. "How many were there?"

"An entire barrow full!" Shylah wailed. "You must hurry, I can hear their souls cry out for me! What will we do with no potatoes during the winter?"

Mailune suppressed a snort. The gardeners were always described as very dramatic, and Shylah was only driving the label home. She of all of them was known to exacerbate a situation.

"Calm down--" Carai began.

"I'll tell you what we'll do. We'll _starve_!"

"Shylah, did you see the thief?" Carai asked calmly.

"No, but he escaped through the back. I saw a potato there, but when I grasped it, there was no trace of its captor."

"He? There was only one?" Mailune saw his own confusion reflected in Carai's eyes. How could one thief steal an entire barrow of potatoes and go unseen by everyone inside? Carai looked around, but everyone else, even those who had been in the building, wore the same perplexed face.

"I know where he went!" Shylah chirped, then she disappeared into the building. Carai followed her. The rest of the crowd stayed behind and discussed anxiously amongst themselves, but Mailune opted to walk around to find the back entrance where there were only one or two others scuffling about, not including the approaching hunter and gardener. 

Mailure searched around and found the barrow's wheel trail easily. What he didn't find was footsteps belonging to whoever had stolen it. He met up with Shylah and Carai as they came outside.

"There are no footprints, but the wheelprints lead out," Mailune informed Carai.

"What? How is that possible?" Carai echoed Mailune's thoughts and followed the trail all the way to the wall. "There's been a breach!" the hunter gasped. A jagged hole had been slashed through the barrier, revealing the dark emerald woods beyond.

Shylah was losing her mind beside Mailune, and try as he might, he was unable to calm her. "My potatoes! Oh, stars and moon above, we're all going to die!" she caterwauled.

"Shylah--" Mailune started.

She turned to him, eyes wide with fear. "Healer!" she snorted. "What use will you be when starvation hits? Can your poultices cure a rumbling stomach?"

"There's no need to be--" Mailune tried again.

Shylah began to scurry off, shouting more ludicrous and somewhat rude sayings until she ran right into a tall, burly figure that Mailune soon recognized as Dune.

The Healer apprentice sighed with relief. Dune was probably the most level-headed gardener in the village. He would make her see reason, surely. Then behind him approached Fahgon Ahavah, the leader himself. 

"What is the meaning of your cries, Shylah?" The Fahgon questioned, his gaze resting sternly upon Shylah. “And why are you disrespecting Deregan’s apprentice?”

Shylah stilled for a moment at the sight of the two men. When she spoke, she was still frantic. "My potatoes have been stolen by a ghost!"

"A ghost?" Ahavah looked confused.

Mailune walked up to stand beside the histrionic woman. "The barrow of potatoes has been pushed out of the building, but there are no footsteps. Only wheelprints that lead to a breach in the wall," he explained, still trying to grasp the situation himself. He wasn't surprised when Ahavah still looked puzzled.

"Bring me there. Dune, stay with Shylah," Ahavah ordered. He exchanged soft words with Dune, his voice too low for Mailune to hear, before heading toward Carai along with the Healer.

“This doesn't make any sense," Carai sighed, still studying the trail and the hole. "A barrow doesn't just steal itself."

Ahavah investigated the area for a long moment. To Mailune's surprise, he looked unsettled. He had never seen the Fahgon emotional in any sort of way.

"Fetch me the seer," he finally ordered. At once, Carai was off.

Now Mailune was even more confused. The seer was never brought out of her hut unless it was an emergency of some sort. "The seer?" Mailune pressed curiously.

"I have suspicions," Ahavah replied ambiguously. He offered no better response and they waited in silence until Carai returned with a small, frail-looking old woman with a hood over her head. She wore dark leathers and a foxtail scarf. As she hobbled, Mailune noted that she seemed unaware of the others around her other than Carai. Her eyes stared vacantly at the ground. She was blind.

"Web, what can you sense around here?" Ahavah implored, guiding her to the wall where the breach met the barrow trail.

Web rigidly made her way to the wall, her steps hesitant and her arms outstretched. She pressed a hand against the wood, hesitated, then slid down to kneel at its base. Her hand traced over the barrow trail but her eyes were fixated on something else entirely that Mailune could not see.

Mailune stared with anticipation. He hadn't seen the seer up close before, and never in action. He had always wondered about their powers. It was said they received them from their ancestors in the Castle of Stars, up in the sky. He wasn't even sure what those powers were, aside from deciphering signs and messages in things commonfolk wouldn't think twice about, like the flight patterns of birds or a passing butterfly.

Web remained motionless for what seemed like ages, then she stood and turned back toward them. "It is magic."

"Magic?" The startled question came from Carai. Mailune was thankful Shylah was distracted by Dune. She didn't need more fuel for her fire.

Magic was a rare occurrence, and incredibly difficult to use. Most mages, if they managed, could only use one or two spells, or if they were lucky, three, and all of them had to be born with the gift. Magic was the type of thing only really spoken of around the bonfire, when children gathered around for storytime. Magic hadn't had a presence in the village for Mailune's entire lifetime - which was only eight hundred cycles - and it differed greatly from the seer's abilities. At least, that was what he had been told, though he did wonder how she could detect such things. Could he sense it, too, if he tried hard enough?

"A concealment spell," Web went on, her voice croaking. She wobbled back toward Carai and he took her arm.

"How do you know?" Ahavah inquired.

"There's no other possibility," Web replied simply. 

Mailune was perplexed, now wondering if Web had used any sort of divination to figure that out.

"Whoever it was can't have gone far." Ahavah turned to Carai. "Gather people for searching parties. One hunter per party. Daralune, Tailii, Aibou, and Jinnah shall take the northernmost portion of the woods. You, Jaeran, Malorin, and Vennath shall take the easternmost. Go!" 

Carai hurried to escort Web to her hut and then gather the elves mentioned. Ahavah turned to Mailune. "Where is Deregan?" he asked.

"Gathering vines from the maidenwire trees to store for the winter," Mailune replied. 

"Fetch him. We don't know if this thief is dangerous, and if he is, I want our Healers safe." With that, Ahavah turned and marched off toward the ever-growing crowd, likely to attempt to soothe them.

Mailune raced through the eastern gate and out into the forest. He couldn't help but wonder if Ahavah was overreacting. After all, it seemed to only be one thief. A thief that could use magic, of course, but he hadn't taken the easy chance to kill anyone. Then again…

Mailune slowed as he pushed through the dense, lush forest. The mage could be hiding anywhere, even in the camp itself. Or he could be part of the rival colonies and sent to spy or steal. No wonder Ahavah was reacting the way he was. Besides, an entire barrowful of potatoes had been stolen! People may not starve to death, but many would go hungry without that food.

He came upon one of the streams and leaped over it, landing with a loud crunch on the leafy and rocky edge. Then he carried on as the ground sloped upward. He was approaching the base of the mountain. 

He paid little attention to how loud his steps were. Squirrels scurried out of his path and rocks were upturned, though even in his haste he was nimble, leaping over a large log without even slowing down and ducking beneath swinging, prickly boughs.

Suddenly, something slammed into Mailune from behind. He tripped and fell forwards with a startled yelp, barely managing to catch himself, and the side of his head struck the trunk of a tree. He staggered and fell heavily to the side and onto his hip, dazed. He could feel blood already trickling down his cheek. It welled up around his left ear and made it difficult to hear.

He couldn't see properly; his vision was dark and as he regained it, he saw the world as foggy and spinning rapidly. It was much like swimming upwards in a deep, dark pond. Before he could regain his bearings he was turned and lifted by his tunic by a strong hand, then pinned against the tree he'd collided with. His back roughly met with the bark and he groaned.

Before him was only darkness, enhanced by the shadows of the trees and the darkening sky. The only thing he could make out in his state were two piercing, icy blue eyes. Mailune had never seen anything like them. They were beautiful yet terrifying, like droplets of the very sky itself, or pools of pure, glistening water. 

Blinking away the dizziness, Mailune tried to focus on the figure before him. He realized it wasn't just a shade of pure darkness, but a person with long, dark hair and dark skin. The man _towered_ over him. Mailune felt chills ripple under his skin, but he couldn't look away. Something kept his eyes glued in place, like the blue eyes had captured his green ones. Was this what magic felt like?

Then the man jerked away from him, released him, and disappeared. Mailune blinked, looking around frantically. _Where has he gone?_

Still dizzy, Mailune stumbled forwards and almost fell back down. He was breathing quickly, like he expected to vomit, but his face was cold and he felt no bile rise in his throat. He looked around for tracks or a sign of the disappearing man. He found nothing, and only the rustle of the wind through the leaves overhead filled his ears. That, and his own heart thudding against his chest. He wiped his face with both hands, feeling warm blood on his left hand. He leaned against the tree to recuperate.

"Mailune?"

Mailune jolted and pressed his back against the tree. He heard a rapid and panicked rustle of leaves before Deregan burst into the small clearing. Mailune heaved a sigh of relief, relaxing against the tree.

"What happened to you?" Deregan asked, reaching to gently but firmly grasp the man by his shoulders. He looked him over. "You're bleeding." 

"And... I have an awful headache," Mailune added with a grimace. His voice was weak. "Someone stole potatoes. I think... he attacked me? I was coming to warn you."

"Kind of you," Deregan remarked absently, still looking Mailune over as if the elf had been impaled.

"The Fahgon told me to," Mailune added. 

"Come." Deregan pulled Mailune from the tree. "I must see to your head wound. I can't tell how bad it is with all of that blood."

"Is there really that bad?" Mailune didn't realize his words were slurred and made little sense. His skin was numb. All he felt was a throb that seemed like it was coming from inside of his skull and the faint warmth of blood on his ear.

Deregan looked grim. "You have a concussion. Did you collect and store the herbs? There should be feverfew."

"Yes," Mailune muttered. "Be careful. Might still be here." His eyes flitted searchingly around the forest as they walked on. He squinted; the light, even in the dim woods, was almost unbearable all of a sudden.

They made it back to the village without any more trouble. Deregan helped Mailune ease onto a bed in the Healer's hut.

"You're going to need rest for at least a couple of days. You have a small gash on your head." Deregan was an expert at keeping a straight face. Mailune couldn't be sure whether he was lying about how bad it was or not. It might have been worse. It certainly _felt_ worse.

Apparently the gash was very close to his temple because as Deregan treated it, the pulsing pain in Mailune's head worsened, making him groan.

Finally, Deregan wrapped the wound lightly with dressed bandages, then brought Mailune a cold, wet rag to rest over his forehead. He also brought him feverfew tea. "Drink this. It'll reduce the pain," he insisted.

Mailune did, then eased back with a heavy sigh. "Thank you, Ser'gah."

Deregan left him to rest. As exhausted as he was, Mailune still found it difficult to sleep. When he finally closed his eyes and started to drift, the image of two pearly blue eyes were burning behind his eyelids. They followed him into his dreams.

_I walk slowly through a dark forest. All around me are the looming, thick trunks of trees in full leaf. It's unbearably cold, though, like the fiercest winter, but there is no snow._

_I seem to trek through this endless span of trees forever. My pace quickens until I'm running. I'm no longer sure whether I'm running just to remain warm. I think something may be following me. My heart pounds against my chest and I hear it echo against every tree and even the ground itself._

_I finally come to what seems to be a break in the woods. The small clearing is silent. I can't even hear my heartbeat anymore. As peaceful as it is, it is darker than being sheltered beneath thick boughs, like the entire sky had been swallowed up._

_Then I realized it had been. The only thing left in the dark night sky were two orbs that were the size of the sun and twice as fierce._

_They were blue, and they were looking right at me._

Mailune awoke in the middle of the night. His headache had eased. He stared up at the ceiling of the hut, slowly blinking the sleep out of his eyes and trying to remember who and where he was. 

The pale light of the moon shone through one of the cracks between the leather door of the hut and the wooden frame. A strange, uneasy urgency welled in Mailune's chest, making his heart speed up its pace. Anxiety made his fingers and toes twitch. Without thinking, he pushed himself up from the bed and turned, then he pulled his shoes on, then his coat, and then he stood and quietly made his way out of the hut. Deregan was sleeping in one of the other beds, but thankfully there was nothing on the floor or anywhere else in his path that might disturb the Healer's sleep.

Hesitating at the entrance, he took a look around the village. He could still see the burning coals beneath the bonfire wood and smell the aftermath of the high flames. He couldn't even remember it being lit last night; he had slept through it, though he figured everyone must have been quieter than usual in fear of the invisible stranger.

Except he wasn't so invisible, was he? Part of Mailune thought that last night hadn't been a purposeful attack. After all, magic was hard to grasp. What if he had stumbled in his escape from a patrol, and his magic had faltered? Mailune only remembered tripping - perhaps from a shove - but he knew for certain that he hadn't been struck by anything from the man himself, only the tree on the way down. What if he had grabbed him to make sure he was okay, then left when he saw that he was? Or could he have heard or seen Deregan rushing towards them?

And where had he put the barrow? Had he hidden it? He definitely didn't push it along as he ran away.

Nobody was out and about. There were guards at the east and west entrances, but Mailune supposed he could easily get by them. He was a Healer, after all. The most they would question was why an apprentice was leaving so late at night.

Mailune approached the east gate and was greeted by Carai. They must have refreshed the search parties.

"Hey, Mailune." Carai dipped his head to the Healer's apprentice. "Shouldn't you be in bed?"

Mailune hadn't accounted for his injury. "I can't sleep. I thought I'd take a walk."

Carai looked curious, but made way for Mailune. "Alright. Stay safe." Mailune nodded his thanks, then stepped through the gate. He paused and looked back to his friend.

Carai was a tall elf. Taller than most, but certainly not taller than the stranger in the woods. He had short dark hair and bright green eyes, and Mailune never saw him without his bow and quiver. "Are there still searching parties out?" Mailune asked. If there were, he had to be careful of them in case he did manage to find the stranger. He wanted answers before anyone had a chance to hurt him. 

"Yes, though I imagine they'll be back soon. They left a while ago, and it's very late. The Fahgon would rather them well-rested for tomorrow, and it'll be easier to search in the daylight."

Mailune nodded. "Thanks, Carai." Then he turned and headed off into the forest.

It was dark, but not as dark as it had been in his dream. When he was out of sight of the watchman, he turned right and headed along the wall of the village until he found the breach. It had been patched up with strong branches and pieces of bramble to prevent anyone from trying to go through, but it was weak.

Following what little of the trail was left, he headed from this angle towards the feverfew trees, where he had fallen. Soon enough he came across his own trail. He could tell by the dried drops of blood on a few leaves that, eventually, led to the feverfew tree. He hadn't realized how close he had already been to Deregan's herb hunting grounds.

After taking a moment to investigate around the tree, he pushed onwards in the direction he figured the shadowy man had fled. The copse of maple and oak trees were thinner here, allowing broad, bright shafts of sunlight in during the day. Right now, tall grass was bathed in cold white light. More berries and flowers and other plants grew thickly in a semi-clearing. Another small stream flowed right at the edge. This was where Deregan liked to pick wild herbs.

Now, however, only the moon cast an eerie, cold glow that reflected off of the gently flowing stream and some of the large nearby stones. Mailune paused at the edge of the water and took another look around.

A shift in a tall bush nearby caught his attention, then the quick, fleeting sound of footsteps.

"Wait!" Mailune called out. He hesitated before chasing off after the sound.

The dark forest became a blur around the small elf as he ran, though he managed to leap over or duck under obstacles in his path quite deftly. He heard the steps still up ahead, but he was losing ground. "Wait, come back!" he called again, louder this time. Mailune passed countless trees and yet another stream - or perhaps it was the same one and had turned. A few times he had to pause, glancing around frantically. After the crackle of twigs he darted off again.

He broke through another parting of the trees, but this time the ground ended abruptly and fell into a cliff. Mailune stumbled to a halt, the color draining from his face. He cursed under his breath and scrambled away from the edge. 

To his right, he heard a familiar sound. He turned to see the large, magnificent body of a massive stag with its head down and antlers pointed straight at him. His heart sunk. "Sorry!" Upon realizing the stag gave no quarter for apologies, Mailune turned heel and bolted right into the forest.

It didn't give chase, but Mailune didn't stop until he felt there was a good enough distance between him and the cliff. Nothing was familiar on the way back; he had made so many twists and turns without paying attention that he was now utterly lost. Panting, he took a break and leaned against an oak tree, despondent.

"I have never seen a hunter or a warrior mistake a stag's hoofbeats for a man's."

Mailune jolted. He looked around frantically for the source of the voice, but it sounded like it came from behind him and inside of the tree, which made no sense to him. He pushed away, then made a circle around it, confused when he still found nothing. "Show yourself!" he called bravely.

A moment of silence made Mailune tense. Then he jolted again when a familiar figure appeared before him, slipping from out of the shadows. In this darkness, he couldn't tell if it had been concealed by magic or by the night.

It was the stranger. He was very tall, standing somewhere between one and two feet over Mailune, and he wore dark, lightweight leathers. Mailune wondered if he was cold. He had long, messy dark hair, a color he couldn't tell in the night, and two twin swords on his belt that glinted faintly.

And his eyes were magnificent. Mailune had never seen blue eyes before. All of the forest elves' eyes were green, brown, or the rare amber. These were icy and serene, like the moon's reflection on water. Mailune was at a loss for words, anxiety making him freeze up.

"You are no warrior. You are a child. Why are you looking for me?"

Feeling embarrassed he had been caught in such a jumpy state, but determined not to appear scared of this stranger, Mailune straightened himself and cleared his throat, trying to sound confident. "You've stolen our food. We need it back." He paused as the rest of the man's words sunk in. "And I am not a child!"

"You don't need it," the man replied matter-of-factly.

Mailune was taken aback by the cool tone, and blinked. He nearly stumbled over his words. "We _do_ need it. There is an entire village to feed! People will go hungry without those potatoes."

"You don't know what you need," he retorted.

The man was sparing Mailune few words, and he noticed. Though, what he did say left him curious. "What do _you_ need, then?"

The stranger actually looked startled by this question. His eyes twitched. Mailune felt he had won a small battle he didn't even know he was fighting.

Instead of answering, however, the tall man turned and started to walk away. Baffled, Mailune followed him. "Wait! Where are you going?"

No answer.

Mailune figured that perhaps the man just didn't want to disclose the location of the barrow. He might be leading him there! But if he was, he might also intend to capture Mailune. _Nonsense_ , Mailune quickly resolved. _Why would he do that? He would just get in more trouble than he's already in._ "Where are we?" He took another look around.

He hadn't been this far out into the forest before. He was almost certain he was well beyond Deregan's little grove. The trees weren't as thick as they were close to home, and if Mailune squinted far enough into the distance he could see the mountainside and all of its rocky edges and dark crevices. Further along its base the mountains parted into a narrow canyon and a small river flowed out from it. 

He had always wondered what it would be like to journey into the mountains, but he was unable, just as the rest of the people of his village were unable. The mountains belonged to one of their rival colonies. _The border must be nearby,_ Mailiune decided, feeling curiosity fill him. 

"Are you taking me back home?" Mailune asked, looking back to the stranger still walking in front of him. He hadn't disappeared yet. The Healer took this as a blessing. Perhaps his motives weren't so bad after all. Distracted, Mailune didn't see the large, upturned root in front of his feet, and stumbled.

"You would think after so long, you elves would develop night vision," the man remarked. It seemed snide, but his tone was flat.

"Will you at least tell me your name?"

No answer.

"Mine is Mailune. Did… did you hit me on purpose?"

He just shrugged.

Mailune sighed, defeated. They passed several more trees and eventually they arrived in Deregan's clearing. Mailune could easily tell by the soft trickle of stream water.

"You can find your way home from here, yes?" The tall man glanced over his shoulder, but before Mailune could respond he disappeared. There was no trace, not even a small rustle from movement.

"I'm going to come back!" Mailune called out indignantly, then instantly regretted it. He might be heard by a patrol! In a moment of panic, he spun in a circle, checking his surroundings. Then he stood still and listened. Nothing but the soft drip and slosh of water replied to him. With another sigh, and now thoroughly disappointed, Mailune traced his steps back over the undergrowth.

The small drops of sunlight startled him. Time had passed quickly. He picked up his pace, fearing that Deregan would be upset if he caught him out of bed. His headache was returning, too, and he needed to lie down.

He reached the outskirts of the village and peeked through the brambles to the eastern gate. Carai was still there, vigilant. Expectant. In fact, he actually looked concerned. With a pang of guilt, Mailune pushed through the prickly branches of the bush and approached the man. Instantly, he saw relief warm Carai's eyes.

"You're back! I was beginning to worry you'd been magicked away," the hunter jested, though Mailune knew that Carai had genuinely worried that he wouldn't make it back. The thought made him wince.

"I'm sorry. I got distracted, and then I got lost. I haven't been out of the village much," Mailune said. He hoped that was believeable. He didn't like lying to his friend, but he couldn't imagine how the man might react if he confessed he had been purposefully trying to find the magical stranger.

Thankfully, Carai only looked amused. "You've always had your head in the clouds, Mailune! You're an apprentice now. You have to be more careful." Mailune also knew that Carai was only worrying so much because something like this hadn't happened in a long time. Not just magic appearing - but danger in general that was posed by a person instead of an animal.

"I know. I'm sorry. I will be." Sharp pains were starting to return to his forehead. "I need to get back to bed," he confessed. "My head is hurting again. Deregan will be worried sick. You won't tell him, will you?"

"Of course not. Your secret's safe with me, Mailune. Always. Get some rest."

Grateful, Mailune dipped his head and went through the gate, then headed toward the Healer's hut. When he saw others appearing from their homes, he picked up the pace, fretting Deregan may already be awake and frantic. When he returned, however, Deregan was still sound asleep. He presumed that wouldn't last long, though. Deregan often rose with the sun. Settling into the bed beside his mentor, Mailune drifted off into a deep sleep. No dreams accompanied him into his slumber.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feeling lost? Don't worry! Chapter 2 will be much more informative. After Chapter 2 I'll post a roster. Stay tuned!


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